Hamilton County faith and community leaders are urging the Hamilton County Commission to better address racial and ethnic health disparities as the commissioners look for a new administrator for the health department.
Members of the Tennessee National Guard will arrive Wednesday at two Erlanger Health System hospitals in Hamilton County while all local hospitals are forced to scale back elective procedures as the worst patient surge of the pandemic to date pushes health care systems to the brink.
For Dr. Michele Pickett, medicine is a calling rooted in faith.
The early weeks of 2021 carried a sense of promise for the Chattanooga health care workers who were weathering a devastating winter surge of COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths.
The number of COVID-19 patients in Hamilton County hospitals reached 244 on Thursday - a record high for the pandemic - as an unrelenting coronavirus surge pushes health systems across the region to the brink.
Schools across the Chattanooga region that just started the new academic year are struggling to control COVID-19 as the highly contagious delta variant drives cases among largely unvaccinated students - prompting Hamilton County Schools to ask all students to wear face masks and forcing some schools to close altogether.
The Hamilton County Health Department is encouraging fully vaccinated individuals with weakened immune systems who are now eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine booster to seek a third shot, as the department is preparing to open up boosters for all residents in about a month.
COVID-19 vaccines were never promised to be 100% effective, and experts are united in saying they remain the best way to combat the pandemic.
Unlike in previous efforts, this round will be self-administered
Expert says requirement with opt-out 'sounds like a recommendation rather than an obligation or a mandate'
